


Two Devils On My Shoulders

by SyraNyx



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Confusion, F/F, Jealousy, Light Angst, Multi, Polyamory, Romance, Sexual Content, Sibling Incest, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-05 21:26:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14627355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyraNyx/pseuds/SyraNyx
Summary: Yang is a party animal. One of the best, even. Who doesn't want to go to the biggest social events in Beacon where all the big names go to let loose? Not many, really. Even prim and proper Weiss Schnee, fancy heiress that she is, makes an appearance every once in a while. Though, she IS Yang's roommate and apparently they get along great.How well do they really though? Because throwing a wrench into the mix named Winter in the aftermath of one of those amazing parties could stir up some feelings left unstated up until now...





	1. Tension

Yang Xiao Long, infamous within Beacon College’s prestigious halls for one big reason, both damning and endearing: she knew how to throw one  _ hell  _ of a party. Dragon Parties, as they came to be known, were the events of the season. An imperative for anyone and everyone who was someone or wanted to be. Wild and uninhibited as they were, these were college parties that never spilled over into the streets or the domain of the police; Yang knew how to rein her many attendees in just so, personally calming fights with an endless stream of witty humor and turning noise complaints around with the flick of a switch and a change in the tunes. 

 

This blonde bombshell displayed an uncanny awareness of her social status in her little world, using it to raise moods and create an unforgettable experience for all involved. She wanted to succeed in life for sure, earn her engineering degree and make some serious bank, but she also wanted to have fun while the opportunity was there. Why not pull the people around her into some shenanigans and help them all relax? Maybe then they could all succeed a little easier. Something that very few recognized, however, was that sometimes even she couldn’t see all the way through what seemed like a great idea. She was hardly infallible and a fun, exciting idea could be calamity in disguise. 

 

Everyone needs that friend that plays the Devil’s advocate. That same friend also almost always serves as their proverbial Angel on their shoulder, tugging them away from the brink when their conscience or better judgment fails to warn of the consequences of their actions. 

 

How ironic for Yang that her Angel, the one that kept her from getting too plastered or too invested in a foolhardy plan, could also be as much of a Devil as the one she advocated for, giving her the hardest times when she made herself a prime target for teasing or when she needed to be held to a promise. 

 

“Weiss… My head is  _ killing me  _ today… Can’t we just clean and do homework tomorrow? I swear it’ll be fine if your sister sees a little mess through the door…” Yang complained, huddled up at the little table in her dorm room’s kitchenette. She nursed a scalding cup of bitter coffee in one hand, her “hangover hoodie” swaddling the impressive assets on her chest that she normally displayed so proudly so she could pull the hood low over her eyes and block out the overhead light. Dragon Party no. 32 had been a smashing success, celebrating the final weekend of the semester before the dreaded finals week struck. But of course Yang wasn’t ready for the rest of that weekend yet, not with the skull-splitting ache digging its way deeper through her lilac eyes. 

And her roommate, the flawless and impeccable Weiss Schnee, was  _ not _ helping matters. 

 

“Excuse me? Of course not, Yang. Winter will accept nothing less than perfection from this place I currently call home. I don’t even know how many times I’ve told you that the discipline of the military fits her to a fault. And besides that, you  _ promised  _ me several times over that you would be ‘raring to go’ after the party and ready to clean. Your hangover is your own fault and your own problem.” Weiss leveled a cold stare at her roommate that could chill you to the core, reminiscent of the heartless tundra that she had been birthed in. 

 

Where Yang was vibrant with her tousled mane of blonde hair and sex personified with her “porn-worthy” curves (her own sarcastic words), Weiss was elegant with her curtain of snow-white locks spilling over her shoulders and her svelte form drawing a picture of aristocracy and regal pride in the minds of those that observed her from afar. 

 

They weren’t exactly wrong with that line of thinking. The Schnee family was world renowned for their position of power, their company the SDC dipping their fingers into every lucrative industry imaginable to attain influence on par with a near-monopoly. Yang had been shocked to not only see a creature so far removed from her own country-bumpkin roots in the nearby island of Patch but also to find that the famous young woman had also been assigned to the same dorm room as her. 

 

Both of them had gone into the forced relationship with many a preconceived notion about the other but had spent the first few months slowly cracking open each other’s shells with their close proximity. Yang’s boisterous attitude concealed a firm devotion to mastering her studies that Weiss found both admirable and rather endearing in comparison to the young woman’s desires to occasionally let loose and relax. And Weiss’ cold suit of armor had been heated to melt away her misconceptions about people from other walks of life, revealing a deep well of compassion at complete odds with the cutthroat reputation the media painted over her to match her up to her father. Yang had found that the prickly heiress could be quite the bundle of fun and a diligent friend, even with her biting sarcasm and overly formal speech. 

 

Two years of learning each others’ quirks had led to a strong, if unexpected, friendship.

 

One that Yang  _ almost  _ regretted in this moment. Almost. 

 

“It doesn’t even look that bad, Weiss,” Yang complained, groaning when a stabbing pain worked its way under her cranium, attempting to rob her of her ability to think straight. 

 

Honestly, this party had been rather tame in comparison to many of the others, wrapping up quickly with all the concerns of final tests for the spring semester approaching fast. By midnight the ruckus had died down to just Yang and Weiss’ room, a few closer friends staying until 2 a.m. for some competitive drinking. There were some assorted takeout boxes scattered around the floor, some crumbs lining the couch cushions, and a collection of beer cans piled atop their little coffee table. And a slew of dishes to be cleaned in the sink. Not unmanageable but certainly noticeable. 

 

Weiss’ irritated sigh, as soft as it was, seemed to grate against Yang’s eardrums like steel wool, making her curse Nora for being such a heavyweight. That tiny girl could put away heavy liquor better than anyone she’d seen. Not counting her Uncle Qrow of course. 

 

“Yang.” Dread pooled in Yang’s troubled stomach at the tone in her roommate’s voice. A tone that brooked no argument and promised swift punishment if she tried. For such a small- erm, petite woman, Weiss could be quite terrifying. “I warned you yesterday that you needed to be ready to help me clean up after your party today. Now I am going to hold you to your promise because despite my best efforts to solve this on my own because I can’t finish this myself. Winter has been on tour for the past year and I am most certainly not going to let her think I’ve been living like a slob while she’s been away. I won’t have you making a liar out of me by having this be the one occasion where you weren’t an exceptional roommate and friend.” 

 

Now, someone who hadn’t spent as much time with Weiss as Yang had might only feel guilty when put under the spotlight by her clipped, formal delivery. While she certainly did, burying her face in her arms with a groan, she also heard an undercurrent in the end of that little speech. If Weiss was concerned about Yang making a liar out of her… did that mean she had been-

 

“Have you been bragging about me to your sister?” Yang’s mouth moved before her mind could follow. She internally cringed at the bad reaction she might catch from the girl she had to live with but it morphed into a grin when she spied the stain of color lighting up Weiss’ cheeks and ears instead. She had already been convinced halfway through the mini-tirade that she wasn’t going to get out of this… But now she had ammunition that would help her smile through it. 

 

“Well then, I guess I can’t disappoint a potential fan then, can I? That would just be rude on top of already doing a disservice to my favorite Ice Queen,” she teased, taking full advantage of the silence in the room to stretch luxuriously, pointedly ignoring the stabbing pain in her eyes since she needed to commit to being active now rather than indulging her discomfort. 

 

“I- Why would I even-” Weiss began, cut off when Yang waved a finger at her and smirked like the cat that got in the cream.

 

“Because secretly you love me and think that I’m this super amazing friend and roommate? That’s the rumor I heard anyway. Now come on, Weiss! We have some cleaning to do and a sister to impress! It’d be so much nicer if she was easy to deal with like my little Rubes though.” 

 

Weiss only seemed to grow redder as Yang started to slowly pick things up off the floor, gradually gaining speed with a trash bag in hand and a grin on her face. “...You make it sound like Winter is impossible to deal with… I’m pretty sure Ruby is the exception to the rule here. That girl is far too easy-going…” she muttered after a long pause, hearing the blonde snort but mercifully leave the subject alone. Letting Weiss have an unsatisfactory last word in a teasing session was the best way to leave it in her opinion, even better than having the last word herself. She knew that Weiss was one of those people that had to have the last word every time.

 

Jokes aside though the two of them could really do quite a lot to clean up their room in a short span of time, Yang’s ability to move about the room in a flurry of chaotic motion rivaling Weiss’ machine-like precision when she set herself to a task. The next hour passed quietly while they worked around each other, interrupted only by the sounds of cans clinking in the garbage and dishes clattering in the sink. A few occasions passed where Yang looked around to check Weiss’ progress and found bright blue eyes regarding her with some sort of strange intent as if they wanted to communicate something but as soon as their gazes connected Weiss would drop hers and return to whatever she was doing as if nothing had happened. Yang wondered if maybe she had teased a little too much and made her friend feel awkward about the coming meeting with the older sister but could only shrug when she couldn’t get any answers.

 

Family in the military honestly didn’t turn out well for a lot of relationships, Yang knew that much. While her own father had still worked as a Hunter for a short time when she was a very young child that hadn’t lasted long after Ruby’s mother left Taiyang a single parent to two young girls. She could only imagine what it must be like to have your older sister be a Specialist in the Atlesian Military, one of the more unforgiving positions in the world, both due to that organization as well as the geographical location. From what Weiss had told her over the course of their friendship though she had gathered that Winter Schnee was quite the powerful personality, maintaining the relationships that she most desired to keep with as much contact as she could manage in her busy schedule, even when she was active in the field. That was dedication that Yang could certainly admire, even moreso when she found out that Weiss was the only Schnee family member that the eldest sibling deigned to speak to. Jacques Schnee, and by extension his effective clone of a son Whitley, had plenty to hate about them that were more than just media speculation like in Weiss’ case. 

 

Yang found herself wondering what Winter must look like and how she might interact with Weiss while she scrubbed idly at the last of the dishes left in the sink. She had never seen an image of the older woman and could only imagine that she must look like an upgraded version of her roommate, pale skin and delicate form belying a surprising inner fortitude. As an older sister herself she of course knew well the feeling of fond protectiveness that settled in her heart whenever she thought of Ruby but she knew that the Schnees were a very different family from her own, if Weiss was anything to go by. How different might Winter be then if she was as gung-ho for perfect discipline as her younger sister made her sound-

 

_ Knock. Knock. Knock. _

 

Sharp raps on the door broke Yang out of her reverie, drawing her back to the present. She grabbed a dish towel, leaving the last couple of plates to rest in the hot, soapy water she’d been working and drying her hands. The door was just a couple of feet from the little corner kitchenette and she’d last heard Weiss mumble that she was going to the bathroom so her hand reached for the lock on their front entrance on autopilot. 

 

“Winter?”

 

Weiss’ voice rang out in excitement, the girl seeming to materialize from nothing in her speedy run from her room, cutting in front of Yang to get the door herself. Her haste was rewarded when she saw that the one at their door was indeed the one they’d been preparing for, a bright smile lighting up her face as she looked up at her sister.

 

“Hello, Weiss. It’s good to see you.”

 

“Winter! It’s fantastic to see you too! Come in, come in!” 

 

Yang stood off to the side as Weiss led her sister inside, blinking slowly at the elegant creature that had entered the room. Fitted blue jeans and a clean white blouse had never looked so good before, complimenting a powerful figure that was a lot more than just an upgraded Weiss. A  _ lot  _ more than an upgraded Weiss. Yang was shocked to find that she actually had to look up a little to fully look the woman up and down, realizing that there were a couple of inches separating them; quite the feat when Yang found herself looking down on a lot of women out in the world. At the same time she also realized that in her searching gaze there was a sudden hunger borne of watching Winter’s striking figure, lilac eyes following a trim waist at odds with certain other assets and the clear physical strength of someone in very good shape. Ivory hair piled atop the woman’s head in a severe bun only did her the favor of displaying the clear pride that held her chin high, long bangs concealing her right eye when it fluttered around in her thorough inspection of the apartment-like dorm room.

 

Yang flushed heavily just in time for that piercing gaze to fall on her, slate blue eyes rooting her in place as if those firm shoulders had pinned her to the wall. Not a bad thought really… Who was she kidding, that was a terrible thought to be having about a woman she’d just met, on top of the fact that she was her best friend’s older sister. The clear image of Winter’s hands trying to wrestle her against the nearest available surface, horizontal or otherwise, was one that was hard to shake when it left a pool of heat beneath her belly.

 

“I take it this is the roommate then?” Winter asked in that clear voice, each word cut with careful precision and laced with an undercurrent of… something that sent a tingle down Yang’s spine. What that something was she couldn’t figure out. Winter had no sort of tell that she could see, not even a faint quirk to her lips, but an unspoken sensation lingered in the air between them. Even Weiss, oblivious as she could be to others’ moods, noticed it, falling silent and raising an eyebrow when her roommate didn’t immediately reply.

 

“Yup, sure am! Yang Xiao Long, at your service!” It took a while longer than normal and a close call with a voice crack nearly spilling over but the blonde managed to spit out a mostly normal response for her, pasting a grin over her lips and choosing to bear with the heat that refused to leave her face. Her hangover was all but forgotten by this stage, left to be dealt with another time. “Nice to meetcha, Winter. Feel like your icy Atlesian self is gonna melt in the heat like Weissy does yet?” she asked, cracking what sounded like one of her usual cheesy lines to smooth over her unexplained nervousness and holding a hand out to Winter to shake in greeting. 

 

Weiss clearly didn’t much appreciate this particular moment being used for Yang’s attempts at humor, a palm covering her face in exasperation while she awaited a reaction from her sister. 

 

Winter regarded the proffered hand with one sculpted eyebrow raising, the barest hints of a smile starting to break through her calm exterior. Yang counted that alone as a win, her own smile widening by a margin, but she didn’t expect the response she got nor the powerful grip that rivaled her own considerable strength. 

 

“I’m familiar with Vale’s heat and it can certainly be rather oppressive in the summertime. But I suppose there are other types of heat that, while they may not melt me, can be rather… pleasant in their attempts.”

 

Yang reflexively clenched Winter’s hand in her own at the innuendo she was fairly she heard in the woman’s voice, feeling that tingle under her skin once more. This could end up being a rather interesting family visit after all…

 

“Yes, well, we’ll be careful of the heat while we’re  _ out at lunch _ , Yang. I’ll see you later,” Weiss quickly began to tug on her sister’s arm to practically drag her out of the dorm room, the emphasis on her words drawing a real smile from her sister’s lips as she caught the  _ very _ clear hint that Weiss wanted to be gone immediately.

 

“It was good to meet you, however briefly, Yang Xiao Long. Another time,” Winter called out airily before the door was slammed, leaving the blonde to contend with the thudding beat in her throat alone and let her blush have free reign. 

 

“Yeah… Another time…”

 

Was it a good idea to have the hots for your best friend’s older sister? Yang had no idea since her usual confidant was a little too close to the situation… Well, one way to find out.


	2. Teasing Gone Too Far?

“All I’m trying to say about your roommate is this, Weiss: I find Yang to be quite attra-”

 

“Winter.”

 

Weiss’ tone held a contempt for her sister’s smug expression that was rarely known, let alone heard. She loved and respected her elder sister dearly, seeing in her an almost perfect role model she could mold herself in the image of that was worthy of respect from anyone she might meet. Even as a young woman, no longer just a small child idolizing their older sibling, she saw in Winter an unshakeable confidence and a perfect capability that she forever wished she could call her own. Right now, however, she was torn by something that Winter couldn’t quite discern, even with her impressive ability to cut through the facades people erected to protect their inner thoughts. 

 

“She had such a, what’s the word again…” Winter paused for dramatic effect, sipping her dark coffee and ignoring her little sister’s angered growl. They both knew fully well that she would continue to speak regardless of Weiss’ desire for her to stop. “Vivaciousness, that’s it. An alluring gravity in the beauty of her eyes. A spark to kindle a fire in my imagination. A-”

 

“WINTER.”

 

The ivory-haired woman in question sniggered in an unbecoming fashion for the elite military personnel that she was but such was the norm for an older sibling successfully baiting their kin into the sort of brilliant blush that Weiss now sported. 

 

“I truly  _ don’t  _ want to hear this from you right now. Or ever, as a matter of fact. Yang is one of my best friends in the world now, despite the rocky start we had. If I wanted your opinion on how attractive you think she is I would have asked for-”

 

“I would rate her an eight out of ten in looks alone, Weiss. Had you said she was a famous fitness model I wouldn’t have doubted it. Higher if she is as much of a joy to be around as you made her out to be in your letters, dear sister.” Winter was rather enjoying the stunned silences she could nudge Weiss into at the moment, reaching out to gently pinch one of her baby sister’s heated cheeks. “Come now, Weiss. I made no secret of my preferences when I told Father I would not be returning home any longer upon joining the military, yet you continue to remain surprised by my admiration of Yang. I’m sure you have been privy to more than a few conversations on the amount of attention she must receive.”

 

Exasperation tinged with something close to dismay escaped Weiss’ lips in a sigh, confirming Winter’s suspicions and implanting a new one as well. One that had her imperceptibly narrowing her eyes while her coffee date put her head on her arms. 

 

“Yes, I have. I told you about Yang’s parties of course… Essentially every single one of them brings at least one unwelcome guest in the form of some drunkard deciding that he’s going to approach her for a date. It never gets anywhere really… The one time one of them tried to put his hands on her was actually the only violence I’ve ever seen at one of those parties.”

 

“Quite surprising for a college-level event organized by a single person,” Winter hummed, tapping at Weiss’ mug so that she didn’t let her drink get cold, pausing before asking the next logical question about that incident. “I take it this man never tried-”

 

“Of course not. She very nearly ruptured one of his testicles. The only reason he couldn’t press charges was because I caught a video of him trying to sneak his hand down her pants. One solid kick ended that.” Weiss had raised her head with a start at the clink of nail on glass to sip at her caffeine once more until she had to answer Winter’s curiosity, palpable rage making her hands briefly tremble.

 

_ More anger than I would have expected out of Weiss…  _ Winter mused to herself, raising one carefully sculpted brow in amusement so that Weiss wouldn’t catch on to the other thoughts outside of Yang running through her mind. 

 

“Well done, Weiss. It is always good to have evidence in hand when dealing with lowlifes like that. Speaking of which, do you mind if I take a look at your grades? While I don’t doubt your abilities as I might have when you were younger with less drive I do quite enjoy seeing the results myself. As  _ evidence _ of your growth.” She looked pointedly at Weiss’ chest with a teasing look in her eyes, chuckling at the furious blush in her sister’s cheeks. Refraining from poking fun at her little sister was difficult, especially after a whole year of being stuck out in the wilderness, away from the only family that she truly considered her own. Also an entire platoon of sweaty, angry macho men with a sense of humor on par with a child’s. It hardly made for an enjoyable experience on top of the fact that they had been taking fully automatic weapons to hateful Grimm, an awful pastime to engage in to begin with.

 

In addition, she had to constantly keep a harsh expression on her face at all times to dissuade people from searching for a weakness to exploit. Though, for all the strict, powerful faces she was capable of putting on it was merely a shield for a woman who had been forced to pick and choose who she trusted with extreme care for fear of being betrayed. Even among her own family she had only truly been able to bond with her little sister, not trusting the rest of them to care for her as much as she wanted to reciprocate. She cared deeply for Weiss, investing much of her own mental state in the knowledge that the girl was doing well for herself.

 

Luckily for her the way she operated, by holding people at an arm’s distance much of the time, didn’t seem to put the younger girl off. If anything she seemed to care for her older sister as much as she always had. At the moment she seemed mildly suspicious of the sudden change in topic but was still clearly relieved to be released from her position of harassment. 

 

“Of course, Winter. I’m proud to say that I’ve managed nearly perfect scores in all of my classes so far. I do wish I could also claim to be in a spot for valedictorian by my graduation year but I don’t think I can beat out the resident queen, as hard as I’ve tried. Pyrrha isn’t called “ The Invincible Girl” for nothing,” Weiss said with a rueful smile, discreetly flipping open her phone so that she could pull up a window with her grades in it. What she didn’t realize was that Winter could see the picture on her home screen that she didn’t seem too keen on sharing. A circular mirror up in the corner above Weiss’ head reflected what Winter suspected, making her groan internally at the unfortunate circumstances she had walked into. Yang was prominently displayed on that phone in a gorgeous picture of exultant athleticism, sweat and excitement permeating the woman’s body as she scored a slam dunk on an outdoor court, the sunlight making her shine as radiantly as her smile.

 

For all of the jokes that Winter had made on their way to this small café on Beacon’s campus she had been entirely serious in having a sincere appreciation for Weiss’ roommate, regardless of the brevity in their meeting. The letters she had been receiving while abroad had talked up the blonde quite a lot, inundating her with all of the fascinating tidbits and contradictions that Weiss had observed over the past year and change. Anyone that could earn as much praise from Weiss’ somewhat prickly standards had earned a strong pass in Winter’s book and she appreciated many of the same traits that her sister did evidently. A vibrant passion for life itself. Brash confidence in contrast with a deep empathy that surfaced when the going truly got tough. Dogged humor that persisted in making someone laugh no matter how contrary their mood may be. 

 

Traits like that were ones that people like Weiss and Winter sorely needed in their lives, to counteract their tendencies to take life a little too seriously and forget to have time for relaxation and personal space.

 

Winter let that thought rattle around in her mind while she scrolled through her sister’s grade reports, sipping her coffee with an idle hum. 

 

Taking things too seriously could only spell trouble if they were interested in the same woman… While not the worst thing to happen it could certainly drive a wedge between them if Winter chose to indulge her curiosity and that spark she’d felt back in Weiss’ dorm room. Though, if she were being entirely honest with herself, allowing her curiosity free range to take the lead on her actions had nearly burned her before. Furtive eyes took in her younger sibling’s casually elegant posture while recalling a time from several years prior that left her mildly sick to her stomach, feeling as if the coffee in her gut were suddenly trying to eat its way back out. It had been a long time since she had had a decent relationship with her sister; her life in the military had taken her far away from the connections she wanted in life. Yet she also had to remind herself why she’d made the decision to join in the first place…

 

_ As if you could really tell her all about that right after reconciling over post for so many months… If it has to come between the two choices… it might honestly be easier to tell her that I’m interested in her crush. At least that wouldn’t be lying since I don’t think I could tell her the real truth... _

 

Winter sighed heavily into her mug, drawing a curious look from sharp blue eyes that tried to dissect the sound to no avail. 

 

“Are my grades unsatisfactory?” Weiss asked, a note of suspicion in her voice belied by the slight smile on her face. She at least seemed confident that Winter didn’t find her grades to be poor but she recognized that there was something in that breath of air hinting to a secret. 

 

At least there would be little need for a segue.

 

“They are no less than what I would expect from a Schnee,” Winter stated crisply, pausing for effect until Weiss’ face fell a little in mild annoyance before continuing. “And more than satisfactory for my sister.” That brought the pleased smile from before back but failed to satiate the curiosity behind it.

 

“I wasn’t as much considering your grades as I was our earlier conversation though, I must admit,” Winter relented, watching the expression before her shift from pleased curiosity to irritated frustration one more and calmly sipping her coffee in preparation for the tirade coming her way.

 

“Winter… I love and respect you as my older sister but I can honestly say that I don’t care if you’re interested in women or anything like that. I just don’t want to talk about you finding my roommate good-looking anymore,” Weiss sighed, rolling her eyes at her sister and reaching out for a bite of her scone that she’d picked up earlier, delicately biting into it with a pleased hum. “So can we please drop it?” she continued, raising an eyebrow at the older woman. 

 

“Certainly not. I was intending to ask if you wouldn’t mind if I ask her out for a date while I’m in town. Quite honestly Yang has always seemed to be such an interesting character when you talked about her that I’ve honestly gotten quite curious. I assure you that I won’t make things awkward for you but I thought I should let you know all the-” Winter paused with her hand on her mug, caught in the middle of taking another casual drink while she let Weiss know about the newest target of her romantic affections. While her heart rate was anything but calm mentioning it her exterior showed nothing aside from her usual unflappable calm… At least until Weiss’ eyes widened and gave her a devastated look, the likes of which she had never expected to see aimed her way. “...Weiss?” 

 

“Yes, well. You and Yang? I imagine you two will make quite the power couple, both of you being so driven and all. I wish you luck, sister. I’ve actually just remembered that I had let Blake know that I was going to help them proofread one of their final papers for a Literature course so if you’re going to do that-”

 

“Weiss.”

 

Winter’s own deep blue eyes widened by no small margin, clearly seeing the distress in her sister’s thin frame but feeling helpless to soothe it in any way. The girl was rambling, suddenly gathering her purse and her almost completely unfinished snack to toss it in the nearest garbage can, evoking an empathetic reaction in her elder sister that set her own hands to trembling. Even the interruption seemed to do nothing to stop the stream of shaky words issuing from her pale lips. 

 

“I can certainly head over and see them a little early. You’ll want some daylight I’m sure so you can explore the city. Surprisingly Vale doesn’t have as much to offer a night owl like Yang for such a big town so you may have to get inventive. I’ll see you later, sister!”

 

Winter instantly felt the weight of guilt dragging heavily on her shoulders watching Weiss all but run out of the coffee shop, walking as quickly as her lengthy legs would allow. Quite quickly indeed, the spectacle drawing her eyes to firm calves until they disappeared out the front door. 

 

_ Well… Fuck. _


	3. Breaking Point

Blake Belladonna’s apartment just off of campus was easily the calmest and quietest place that Weiss could possibly think of, even though the cat-loving bookworm had two of the most obnoxious roommates/datemates she had ever met. Well, at the very least Coco was well known for being quite the unapologetic flirt, even around Blake and Velvet whom she was currently dating. Weiss had been over on more than one occasion and been subjected to a friendly pat on the rump, a teasing solicitation, or been invited to join in on a three-way date and be a fourth. Even with all that though she could hardly fault the woman when she was clearly more devoted to her two partners than some people were to their lawfully wedded spouses and was just having some playful fun with friends. Coco could even be convinced to curl up with a book like the rest of them or to sit through a weepy romance movie in total silence instead of blaring her hip-hop and classical strains on her office’s surround sound system. 

 

Weiss quite liked to hang out with Coco when she wasn’t being too much of a flirt, talking recent trends and celebrity gossip with the high profile fashionista. That was the last thought on her mind as she stormed across the campus though, making a beeline for the bus stop directly outside that would take her within a block of Blake’s home. She didn’t even consider whether or not the shyest member of that triad would be around, lurking in a corner with her cameras and editing her photos on a laptop. Velvet was an adorable and caring girl but Weiss had known Blake since before Beacon even, having met them online and bonded thoroughly before ever meeting in person. Blake was the one she would be desperately running to for reassurance.

 

And possibly for a shoulder to cry on.

 

Weiss had to commend herself for staying as unnaturally calm as she was on the outside all the way down the cliffside that separated Beacon from the City of Vale proper. The raging tempest in her thoughts was warring against her icy veneer with the fury of a tropical storm but going by the stony, noncommittal expressions she got from her fellow passengers nary a crack was there to reveal her inner turmoil. She could feel the tremble in her hands though as she lifted her purse from her lap upon arriving outside the Sunset Pavilion Complex, taking a deep, soothing breath as she walked to ring the bell at the gate on Blake’s building. 

 

It didn’t make her feel any calmer than before.

 

“Belladona/Adel/Scarlatina residence, how can we serve you to-”

 

“Coco can I come in please?” 

 

There was a heavy pause on the intercom, surprise plainly registering in Coco’s voice when she spoke again. Weiss was normally never so short as to interrupt someone and certainly not with such an anxiety ridden voice. Her words were absolutely riddled with the tremors that had started in her hands and rapidly metastasized outwards.

 

“Sure thing, Weiss.... You ok-”

 

“Thank you, Coco.”

 

“Uh.. Sure thi-”

 

Weiss all but slammed the button to end the call on the intercom, guilt already surging for cutting Coco off not once but three times in a row. The spinning nausea in her head and stomach fought tooth and nail for supremacy over that sensation though, slowly winning out as she rushed her way up three flights of stairs to reach her friends’ apartment. “The Love Nest”, as Coco had dubbed it, was a spacious place that was half library and half living space for three, the extra bedrooms serving as hobby areas and the master bedroom holding the base for the triad’s operations. Despite having heard Coco on the intercom rather than the one she’d been hoping for though, Weiss knew that Blake had to be up in the Nest somewhere; that eternal student took nearly every one of their classes online to make perfect use of their time and divide it evenly between as many pursuits, or as many naps, as humanly possible. So while not unexpected, she was still eternally grateful when Blake opened the front door before she could even knock, clearly not out on one of their rare excursions for tuna, ice cream, or a date.

 

“Weiss? Are you okay? I thought you were with-  _ OOF!” _

 

Blake’s concerned words were almost immediately cut off as a choked sob finally escaped Weiss’ throat, white hair and slender frame hurling themselves upon their midnight counterparts while their owner started to sob uncontrollably. Unorthodox as it was to see Weiss so distraught that her encyclopedic vocabulary couldn’t even keep up, Blake knew better than to try and coax a proper response out of her. Instead they turned and made a waving motion with one hand at Coco and Velvet just a few concerned feet back, pointing at the kitchen and miming pouring something so they would go start to make some coffee. 

 

“Hey… I’m here, Weiss… Come on and sit…” Blake offered, perplexed but sympathetic to their friend’s confusing and sudden bout of sadness, guiding her to a plush couch and sitting the both of them down.

 

Weiss could only cling tighter to Blake’s shirt, her thoughts a jumbled mess until she could calm them into some semblance of order. A long process to be sure when you felt the most peculiar but distinct sensations of jealousy regarding certain people in your life but one that would work itself out eventually with enough tears. Or so she hoped...

_ Winter is planning on dating Yang. Winter is planning on dating Yang. Winter is planning on- _

 

“-dating Yang…”

 

Blake choked on their tea in shock at the unexpected statement from the thus far silent Weiss. It had been 20 minutes of hiccups and head shakes while the alabaster-haired woman tried to collect herself, growing more and more frustrated as she couldn’t articulate her thoughts the way she wanted to yet. So she had tried rehearsing what she wanted to start with, eternally grateful that Blake seemed willing to wait for her to be ready. The other two in the apartment had returned to their respective hobbies in their spaces but seemed to be keeping an ear out going by the way they wandered back in for refills of their drinks a little too frequently. When Weiss finally did speak though it definitely caught Blake off guard. 

 

Weiss scrambled to rectify the misunderstanding from her incomplete statement, tripping over her words in the process and forgetting her usual formality from her childhood that she’d never quite escaped. “M-my sister! My s-sister is planning on dating Y-Yang…” Hiccups interrupted her words as badly as her stammering, making her cheeks burn a brilliant pink. 

 

“...You mean Winter?” Blake asked in confusion, wiping remnants of tea from their mouth as they tried to recall details on the eldest Schnee sibling they’d heard so much of over the course of the past 5 years. Long before they had come to college together, or at the same time anyway since one of them had come from Atlas and the other from Menagerie, they had spoken over the distance between their countries with the internet. Their friendship had begun that way and deepened in the same; the stories of their lives eventually filled their phones’ storage while they filled each others’ hearts with unbreakable trust and a bond of companionship. So Blake had some suspicions now on the extent of why Weiss seemed so shaken by this turn of events but turned them aside in favor of listening first. 

 

“Yes. Winter. I don’t have any other sisters remember?” Weiss nodded, glad that Blake recalled that detail even though she knew there was no way it wasn’t known. The amber-eyed bookworm had a mind like a steel trap. She briefly recounted the basics of the conversation that had led up to her flight here, calming down by degrees while she talked and filled the open space in the room with white noise.

 

“Not counting Whitney of course.”

 

“Whit _ ley _ , Blake. He wouldn’t be very appreciative of Yang’s little nickname.” 

 

Something about the unwilling twitch of Weiss’ upper lip said that she appreciated it quite a bit though, a fact that didn’t escape Blake’s keen eyes. 

 

“I’ll never know since I don’t plan on meeting any other Schnees besides you. And Winter someday. Which I’m questioning a lot if she’s planning on dating the girl you’ve been crushing on for over a year, knowing full well that you have been.” Blake’s eyes narrowed while Weiss’ expression fell, blue eyes refusing to meet the ones trying to capture her attention. 

 

“There’s no way she could know that! No way in hell. I’ve only seen her for 2 hours so far. I don’t see how she could figure that out already.”

 

“Weiss.”

 

The ivory-haired woman flinched at the sigh in Blake’s voice, hearing the same admonishment coming as when she’d confided in her best friend concerning her feelings for the girl with the dragon tattoo swirling up her back. 

 

“The only reason Yang doesn’t actually know that you’re into her is because-”

 

“Because I convinced her that I don’t even like girls… I…. agh!” Weiss finished Blake’s statement based off of a conversation they’d already had six months ago, recalling an instance previous to  _ that _ where Weiss had foolishly admitted to Yang that she had led a rather sheltered life as a teenager and therefore wasn’t interested in dating.

 

At the time it hadn’t been a lie. It had only been a few short weeks later that she had quite suddenly realized how much she had been following Yang not just with her eyes and libido but with an emotional investment that Blake had very helpfully pointed out as a  _ gigantic  _ crush. 

 

The white-haired woman dropped her head into her hands, groaning even when Blake laid an apologetic hand on her shoulder, consoling their friend through this terrible turnaround of miscommunicated feelings. “That moment when you’re into a girl but she doesn’t know because you made it sound like you’re asexual and now she’s into your sister. Hashtag relatable?” Blake offered, wresting an unwilling laugh from Weiss, albeit a rather dejected one. 

 

“Regardless, yes I’m pretty sure your sister knows you’re into girls. Specifically Yang. And we established that Yang doesn’t know but I guarantee she’s into Winter just based on the pictures you showed me. So? What are you going to do about it?” 

 

“How am I supposed to do anything, Blake?” Weiss asked helplessly, the clear question in her tone asking “If I knew what to do, would I be here complaining to you?” She hung her head dejectedly, plainly fighting the urge to tug on the ivory strands falling in front of her face. “Here’s my real problem: Yang is someone I never even had a chance with to begin with, if only because I screwed up any chance I might have had and Winter is way too perfect a fit for her and far more appealing than I am. She’s older, she’s put together far more attractively than I am-” Weiss briefly made a pass over her chest with her hands for emphasis, drawing attention to the not-so-ample assets she had in comparison to her sister’s pert curves. “She’s just as far out of my league as Yang so it only makes sense that they get together instead of me having a chance…” 

 

“You don’t have to be  _ that  _ hard on yourself, Weiss,” Coco chimed in, leaning over the back of the couch and offering her friend a fresh cup of coffee to replace the one that had been left to get cold earlier. In her distress Weiss hadn’t even touched the one she’d been given but Coco didn’t mind taking that one so the girl could have hot coffee instead. “You’re quite the gorgeous girl yourself and a solid steal, I guarantee you. And, if you left your sister feeling the same way you did when you came here then I’d be willing to bet she waits on account of feeling bad about making her baby sister feel bad. Press the advantages you’ve got, I say. Go get that blondie.” 

 

Weiss snorted, gratefully accepting the steaming beverage while listening to Coco’s cutthroat approach. She supposed that might work in a normal situation with a normal sibling. “As if, Coco. Thank you for the compliments but even if you’re right, Winter won’t take pity on me and give me a chance. If she already decided to try and date Yang then that’s what she’s going to do. She stays true to herself no matter what, even if it hurts someone’s feelings and I would feel disgusting changing that in any way. It’s not fair to either of us if I try to sneak in when she already declared her intentions. Besides that, even though you three know about my feelings on the matter, I haven’t been ready to tell anyone else and I don’t know that I ever would be…” Weiss flushed a light pink at that admittance, drawing a sigh from both Coco and Blake when they heard her talking herself out of even trying. Neither her nor Winter’s pride would really let things play out in a better way than this though. She wouldn’t see her sister’s chances diminished because she cried and Winter wouldn’t want to insult Weiss’ feelings by holding back her own, regardless of how short-lived they might be in comparison. 

 

“You seem awfully calm about this now compared to when you got here though, Weiss… Are you really sure you don’t want to try and talk to your sister about your feelings for Yang?” Velvet asked, coming over to join the conversation from her corner now that things were calmer and sitting herself in Blake’s lap. “I mean, it’s not like you could share Yang the way Coco and I share Blake since you’re sisters, but you could even try to ask Yang out before Winter does if you really don’t want to talk to her about it…”

 

Velvet’s already quiet voice trailed off into nothingness before she could even finish her suggestion, caught off-guard by the reaction her words had pulled from Weiss. While she’d expected the initial grimace at the mention of talking to Winter at first, neither she nor the other two there had been expecting a furious blush at the joking mention of forming a triad with Yang and Winter. 

 

Except Blake anyway.

 

When Blake and Weiss had met online 5 years prior, every other topic out of Weiss’ messages had concerned her elder sister. Her poise, her grace, her confidence, her capability; the list had gone on for eons. Blake had honestly expected for months on end to hear how their newfound best friend was preparing to confess immoral feelings of love for her own sister but that day had never come. Instead they had been treated to years of subtle hints in the guise of unending familial love and praise. Blake considered themselves a fairly strong judge of character and good at picking someone’s true thoughts out of what they did and didn’t say. A sigh of relief had been released when, as they arrived at college together and met in person, that talk of Winter had faded away to be replaced by talk of Yang Xiao Long. 

 

It couldn’t have been that easy of course… A lifetime of love and affection, since that was what Blake assumed this was knowing Weiss had lived her whole life idolizing her sister, didn’t just fall face down in the dirt because of one crush. No matter how strong that crush might be.

 

Weiss was fairly certain those warring desires were plain on her face now though despite the previous subtlety of her affections, mortified as she realized that her feelings of love for both Yang  _ and  _ Winter were duking it out using the furious redness in her cheeks and neck. And Blake could clearly see it by the knowing look on their face while Coco and Velvet struggled to maintain smooth expressions from the sudden realization.

 

“You wouldn’t mind that at all, would you?” Coco asked in a deceptively even tone before anyone else could reply, the triad all watching as Weiss turned away from any eye contact, her voice nearly silent when she responded.

 

“I-I- W-Winter has always meant.. much to me… but it isn’t right of me to look at her that way… I know that.. I’ve rationalized it all before; that nothing could really go wrong since we’re both women..” Weiss took a deep breath, starting again a little stronger but still avoiding the gazes of her friends while she tried to excuse herself out of this in some way that would let her still call them friends when this was all done yet still remain true to herself. It was a bit of a Schnee thing… When put up against the wall, for all their barriers they put up, they couldn’t lie about their inner selves once they had matured enough. “While that’s true though, I understand that people will still consider any relationship we might have besides one as sisters and friends as wrong.. I.. I only hope that you can understand that.. sometimes you can’t help you fall in love with… even if it’s your own flesh and blood sister..”

 

There was a desperate feeling to Weiss’ statement despite how bold it felt to still make such an admittance, showing how much she feared losing her friends because of this one thing. Absolutely she realized it was no minor character flaw to drop on her friends but given the circumstances it was easier to tell the truth and let the friendship end without any muddled lies blurring the lines. She was no longer the naive, sheltered teenager she’d been when she left home, believing that she could hide all the unsavory bits about her personality from others; eventually everything would come to light and it was best to just admit to it when that happened. So she clenched her jaw, waiting for disgust to fill Blake’s and Coco’s eyes and for Velvet to pull herself away, as if she held some sort of contagion. 

 

A long, pregnant pause ensued instead, the triad all communicating as best they could with silent expressions with one another. They hadn’t all been dating for more than a year but they had lived together since Blake had arrived at least, forging a bond that let them know one another’s thoughts without words as well as good friends could.

 

“I.. I can’t say I understand, Weiss…” Velvet began slowly, speaking so carefully that her usual accent was practically nonexistent while she continued to cling to her datemate’s torso, looking to the amber eyes for reassurance. “But.. I mean, maybe we aren’t the best people to look to for normal advice.. I think we all get what you mean when you say that you can’t really help yourself sometimes. Right?” 

 

Coco and Blake both slowly nodded their assent, their eyes filled with a sense of confusion but begrudging understanding. It could even be seen in Coco’s eyes since she’d taken her glasses off for once to rub at her face and take a breath to collect herself. Blake was the first of the two to speak, their voice measured and decidedly neutral. “I get what you mean too by reasoning that it doesn’t necessarily matter if you are in love with.. your sister.. You’re not really wrong about that. It does feel strange still..” 

 

Weiss had begun to look something close to hopeful when hearing her friends try to offer advice instead of tearing her down, though her slender frame was still fraught with tension, ready to flee at a moment’s notice. 

 

“But, well, if we treat this like it’s just our good friend caught between loving two girls that are interested in each other instead..” Coco reasoned, interjecting with the kind of cold, hard logic that she was so well known for, eschewing her emotions to help her deal with the situation at hand. “I could still think of some ways this might work out, depending on how they feel about you..”

 

A definite release of some of the tension filling the air could be felt, especially when Weiss let free a heavy breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding, exhaling it all at once like a popped balloon. Watery eyes regarded her friends with a grateful expression and she sniffled a little, biting her lip and offering them a wan smile. 

 

“Even if we don’t understand fully Weiss, we don’t want to just push you to the side because of one thing.. We’ve been friends for too long to let it end that fast..” Blake added on, reaching around their lapful of Velvet to take one of Weiss’ hands and squeeze it reassuringly; a motion that Weiss was all too willing to reciprocate. 

 

It was a few minutes of waiting for a new round of softer tears to spill gently down Weiss’ cheeks, these ones full of happy relief rather than the despondent helplessness that the ones from earlier had held. Hugs were passed around along with a couple of muttered comments, Coco’s of course, that weren’t spoken with enough volume to be caught by anyone but Blake’s exceptional hearing nor with any ill intent since they earned the fashionable older woman no chiding remark. By the time Weiss was collecting herself once more, Blake and Coco had had enough time to come up with a game plan of sorts while Velvet made more coffee and gently rubbed Weiss’ back. 

 

“Alright Weiss. We’re finding you a way to confess to Yang, ready or not. Dunno what this sister of yours is gonna think, but that’s what we’re gonna find out. You in?” Coco declared from Blake’s lap, having taken Velvet’s place for the time being and pasted on her customary smile of supreme confidence after hashing things out with her lover. 

 

Blake squeezed Weiss’ hand again when the pale girl let out a frightened squeak, honey-colored eyes reassuring enough to eke out a reluctant nod. It was do or die time, it seemed.

**Author's Note:**

> Early morning thoughts when you can't sleep for shit on account of your meds being out of whack are suuuuuper dangerous. I'll admit that I have no idea why this ship idea popped into my head and I have no clue what you would even call it. Freezerburn + Elderburn = .....Twice Frozen Fire? That sounds dumb, don't mind me XD
> 
> At any rate, I'm just rolling with a whim and we'll see how it turns out.


End file.
